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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Obviously, the events of yesterday morning threw a bit of a wrench into the wheels of my mostly pre-written Top 10 questions for the team heading into spring practice. Spoiler alert: linebacker is a bit higher than it was 24 hours ago.

Today, though, we are focused on the program's newcomers- namely the three early high school graduates and the one JUCO transfer from the 2012 recruiting class that are already enrolled at TCU and will be part of spring practice. The two newcomers held in the highest regard may be the least likely to play as true freshmen next fall...if only because they play positions at which the Frogs are already fairly deep. Tyler Matthews is a 6'3" 205lb, 4-star, U.S. Army All-America quarterback from Kansas that many would compare to a non-ginger Andy Dalton. Many see him as the heir apparent to Casey Pachall as the starting QB, although Matt Brown and Trevone Boykin may have something to say about that. B.J. Catalon is a Waymon James-clone running back who some people have said is faster than #32. He rushed for over 2,200 yards as a senior at Houston Westside to go along with 32 touchdowns, but even better news is all of the anecdotal evidence I've heard confirming that he's got his head screwed on straight and has enormous potential to be a strong leader in his time at TCU.

Kolby Listenbee had the shortest distance to move to TCU this semester in lieu of his last few months of high school. The former quarterback from Arlington Bowie comes in listed as an athlete, though many feel his 6'0" 170lb frame and 4.5 speed are best suited to play wide receiver. You never know with a Patterson recruit, though, so I wouldn't be shocked to see Listenbee line up anywhere.

Perhaps the newcomer that will have the greatest immediate impact is Keivon Gamble. The former SMU recruit from Dallas' Lincoln High has played the past two years at Trinity Valley CC in Athens, and has honed his coverage skills enough that he'll be competing for a starting spot this spring. Rivals lists his 40 time at 4.38, but hopefully he won't have to employ that closing speed quite as much as some former speedy Frog corners.

What do you think about this freshest crop of Horned Frogs? Do you think any of them will grab the spotlight like Deryck Gildon did in last year's spring practice and spring game? Which of them do you think will play this fall, and which do you think will have the biggest success long-term?